Climate Change, community dynamics, and long-distance migratory birds

在一个环境快速变化的时代，自然资源保护者、生态学家和资源管理者面临着两个基本问题：(1)哪些物种最容易受到环境变化的影响？以及，(2)什么机制将使个人和人口能够对这些环境变化做出反应，从而避免灭绝？一些野生动物物种每年迁徙数千英里，因此在其生命周期的许多不同部分面临环境变化。因此，这些物种可能特别容易受到环境变化的影响。为了解决这些重要的保护问题，拟议的研究将使用新型微型跟踪设备和一个国际合作者团队的地面努力，在个体的长途候鸟，特别是哈德逊鸟(Limosa Haemastica)的一生中，从它们在阿拉斯加的繁殖地到它们在智利南部的非繁殖地进行跟踪。在鸟类的一生中跟踪个体将提供洞察力，了解在不同时期或不同地点发生的变化如何单独或协同作用，影响整个种群成功生存和繁殖的能力。然后，为了帮助保护哈德逊戈德威特等迁徙物种，并深化与当地社区的接触，该项目将侧重于与阿拉斯加农村地区的当地学校和知名教育媒体制作人合作开发K12课程，通过举办在线科学研讨会促进国际合作，并修订现有的保护计划，以纳入最新的发现。全球环境变化驱动着我的人类活动是多样的，无处不在的。野生动物物种每年迁徙数千英里，因此在其生命周期的许多不同部分面临环境变化。因此，这些物种种群可能特别容易受到环境变化的影响。这项研究将利用自2009年以来一直在阿拉斯加Beluga River维护的一个研究地点，探讨在长寿、长途候鸟Hudsonian Godwit(Limosa Haemastica)整个生命周期中生物和非生物压力的同时影响。当它们从智利南部迁徙到阿拉斯加时，它们全年都面临着多种独立的、潜在的协同作用的环境变化。在这项研究中，关于龙眼在一生中改变迁徙时间的能力的个体水平的信息，将与关于戈德维特雏鸟可能如何被迫在觅食和安全之间进行权衡的种群水平的信息结合在一起，以帮助提供物种水平的评估，以评估龙眼对未来发生在其年度周期中的环境变化的反应能力。因此，该项目的结果不仅有可能阐明迁徙生态学中长期存在的问题，而且还有可能阐明关于个人、种群和物种如何能够应对环境变化的基本问题。最终，该项目的目标是提供关键的、广泛适用的信息，为评估物种对未来全球变化的脆弱性提供信息。该奖项将与USFWS合作，就物种脆弱性提供建议，并与当地村民一起教育和吸引当地公民参与保护和管理。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In an era of rapid environmental change, conservationists, ecologists and resource managers are faced with two fundamental questions: (1) Which species are most vulnerable to environmental change? and, (2) What mechanisms will enable individuals and populations to respond to these environmental changes and thus avoid extinction? Some wildlife species migrate thousands of miles each year and thus face environmental changes in many different parts of their life cycle. These species may thus be especially susceptible to environmental change. To address these important conservation questions, the proposed research will follow individual long-distance migratory birds, in particular Hudsonian Godwits (Limosa haemastica), throughout their entire lives, from their breeding grounds in Alaska to their nonbreeding grounds in southern Chile using novel miniaturized tracking devices and on-the-ground efforts by an international team of collaborators. Following individual birds throughout their lives will provide insights into how changes occurring during different time periods or in different locations may act separately or synergistically to influence the ability of entire populations to successfully survive and reproduce. Then, to aid the conservation of migratory species such as Hudsonian Godwits and deepen engagement with local communities, this project will focus on developing K12 curricula in collaboration with local schools in rural Alaska and established educational media producers, facilitating international collaborations by holding online scientific symposia, and revising existing conservation plans to incorporate recent findings. Global environmental changes driven my human activities are diverse and ubiquitous. Wildlife species migrate thousands of miles each year thus face environmental changes in many different parts of their life cycle. These species populations may thus be especially vulnerable to environmental change. This study will utilize a study site that has been maintained since 2009 in Beluga River, Alaska, to address the simultaneous effects of biotic and abiotic pressures acting throughout the life cycle of the long-lived, long-distance migratory bird, the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). Godwits face multiple separate, and potentially synergistic, environmental changes throughout the year as they migrate from southern Chile to Alaska. In this study, individual-level information on the ability of godwits to alter their migration timing over the course of their lives will be coupled with population-level information about how godwit chicks may be forced to trade off foraging and safety to help inform a species-level assessment of how well godwits will be able to respond to future environmental changes occurring throughout their annual cycle. As a consequence, this project’s results have the potential to illuminate not only long-held questions in migration ecology, but fundamental questions about how individuals, populations, and species are able to respond to environmental change. Ultimately, the project’s aim is to provide critical, broadly applicable information to inform assessments of species’ vulnerability to future global change. The PI will work with the USFWS to advice on species vulnerability and with local villagers to educate and engage local citizens in conservation and management.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.